Bioterrorism

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Bioterrorism The Basics for Primary Care Providers
5/9/01
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Bioterrorism

• The use, or threatened use, of a micro-organism
  or the product of a micro-organism in order to
  generate fear, morbidity or mortality in a
  population.

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CDC Category A Agents
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CDC Category A Agents
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CDC Category A Agents

• High morbidity or mortality

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CDC Category A Agents

• High morbidity or mortality
• Relative ease to produce, store, and disperse

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Bioterrorism Agents

• Category A Diseases
• Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)

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Bioterrorism Agents

• Category A Diseases
• Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
• Smallpox (variola virus)

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Bioterrorism Agents

• Category A Diseases
• Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
• Smallpox (variola virus)
• Plague (Yersinia pestis)

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Bioterrorism Agents

• Category A Diseases
• Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
• Smallpox (variola virus)
• Plague (Yersinia pestis)
• Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)

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Bioterrorism Agents

• Category A Diseases
• Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
• Smallpox (variola virus)
• Plague (Yersinia pestis)
• Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
• Botulism (botulinum toxin)

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Bioterrorism Agents

• Category A Diseases
• Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
• Smallpox (variola virus)
• Plague (Yersinia pestis)
• Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
• Botulism (botulinum toxin)
• Viral Hemorrhagic Fever

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Delivery Mechanisms

• Aerosol route
• Easiest to disperse
• Highest number of people exposed
• Most infectious
• Undetectable to humans

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Delivery Mechanisms

• Aerosol route
• Easiest to disperse
• Highest number of people exposed
• Most infectious
• Undetectable to humans
• Food / Waterborne less likely
• Larger volumes required
• More technically difficult

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Roles of Clinicians

• General Concepts

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Roles of Clinicians

• General Concepts
• High level of suspicion

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Roles of Clinicians

• General Concepts
• High level of suspicion
• Hoofbeats could be a zebra

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Roles of Clinicians

• General Concepts
• High level of suspicion
• Hoofbeats could be a zebra
• Unusual epidemiologic trends

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Roles of Clinicians

• General Concepts
• High level of suspicion
• Hoofbeats could be a zebra
• Unusual epidemiologic trends
• Case clustering

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Roles of Clinicians

• General Concepts
• High level of suspicion
• Hoofbeats could be a zebra
• Unusual epidemiologic trends
• Case clustering
• Severe, fulminant disease in otherwise healthy

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Roles of Clinicians

• General Concepts
• High level of suspicion
• Hoofbeats could be a zebra
• Unusual epidemiologic trends
• Case clustering
• Severe, fulminant disease in otherwise healthy
• Unusual for the region

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Roles of Clinicians

• General Concepts
• High level of suspicion
• Hoofbeats could be a zebra
• Unusual epidemiologic trends
• Case clustering
• Severe, fulminant disease in otherwise healthy
• Unusual for the region
• Similar disease in animals

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Roles of Clinicians

• For specific Bioterrorism (BT) diseases
• Recognize typical BT disease syndromes

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Roles of Clinicians

• For specific Bioterrorism (BT) diseases
• Recognize typical BT disease syndromes
• Perform appropriate diagnostic testing

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Roles of Clinicians

• For specific Bioterrorism (BT) diseases
• Recognize typical BT disease syndromes
• Perform appropriate diagnostic testing
• Initiate appropriate treatment/prophylaxis

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Roles of Clinicians

• For specific Bioterrorism (BT) diseases

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Roles of Clinicians

• For specific Bioterrorism (BT) diseases
• Report suspected cases to proper authorities
• 1) Local health department
• 2) Hospital epidemiologist
• 3) Infectious Disease consultants